Jordan B. Cooper's Blog, page 18
June 24, 2017
Faith and Reason in Luther, Zwingli, and Lutheranism
On today’s program, I dealt with the relationship between faith and reason. I began with a discussion of Luther’s own thought on the topic, while addressing criticisms that he is an irrationalist. I then discussed this in relation to Luther’s distinction between the two kingdoms. I then discussed the idea of paradox and contrasted this [Read More...]
June 17, 2017
The Doctrine of Objective Justification
On today’s program, I addressed the teaching of objective justification. I responded to some false understandings of this idea, and also responded to some criticisms. I overviewed some of the basic arguments for the teaching, and read citations from Lutheran theologians in the past on the issue. Here is the program This is the critique [Read More...]
June 15, 2017
Thoughts on The Southern Baptist Convention and the Alt-Right
I am not one to generally pay much attention to the goings-on of the Southern Baptist Convention, as I have never been involved in the Baptist world. However, as the largest conservative Protestant denomination in the U.S., decisions which arise out of the denomination are significant for the broader face of evangelicalism in the United [Read More...]
To Hell With Our Fallen Love: Why “Annihilationism” and Universalism Fall Short
Post by Nathan Rinne One of our Lord’s great promises is the blessed fellowship we will know in the life to come: “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.” The [Read More...]
June 9, 2017
Questions and Answers June 2017
On today’s program, I addressed listener questions on a variety of topics. I discussed the recent debate on the Marian dogmas, and then discussed the high priestly prayer in John 17 as well as the connection between election and perseverance in Romans 8. Finally, I addressed my recent blog post on circumcision and baptism. Here [Read More...]
June 7, 2017
A New Book on Church and Ministry
It has been a long time since Just and Sinner Publications has released any new books, but one has just arrived, with two more to come in the near future. This book is titled, The True Church and the Holy Ministry: Two Treatises on Ecclesiology by E. Greenwald and Henry Eyster Jacobs. The description is [Read More...]
June 1, 2017
Baptism is not the Replacement of Circumcision
It is a common aspect of Reformed sacramental theology that a parallel is made between the Old Testament rite of circumcision, and the New Testament sacrament of baptism. This connection is foundational for the baptismal theology of Ulrich Zwingli and the consequent reformed tradition. It is noteworthy, however, that such a strong connection does not [Read More...]
May 31, 2017
C.F.W. Walther on the Mystical Union and Pentecost
The time of Pentecost is one in which the church has the opportunity to speak of certain truths which might, at times, be somewhat neglected in Lutheran preaching. Due to the centrality of the second article of the Creed, sometimes, the third can be forgotten. As I have been preparing for my sermon on Pentecost, [Read More...]
Where Did the Antinomianism in Today’s Christianity Come From?
Post by Nathan Rinne What is an “antinomian,” a term which appears to have been invented by the 16th century church reformer Martin Luther? According to Merriam-Webster, an antinomian is someone “who holds that under the gospel dispensation of grace the moral law is of no use or obligation because faith alone is necessary [Read More...]
May 30, 2017
Raising PhD Funds
As my readers and listeners know, I am currently working on my PhD. At the moment, the majority of the necessary research for my dissertation is done, and a large portion of it is written. However, I have had some trouble with funding for the program. If anyone would like to help with my expenses [Read More...]
